The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-02-06
OUR GROVES AND FARMS.

History of a Putnam County Grove
One that has Paid its Own Expen-
ses-A Fortune from a Small
Investment.
THE EXACT FIGURES.
In following up our purpose to lay be.
fore the readers of the Palatka News re- |
liable statistics as to Florida productions. |
we have made full and careful exam
ination of the accounts OF grove situa- |
TED near Crescent City. The whole prop
erty is owned by two parties who have
kept exact detail of every item. The fig
ures used in the division of profit and
loss between the partners have been given
US and we can vouch for the trust
worthiness of the statement thus OBJ
tanned.
In 1869 Messrs. Burton and Harrison,
late of Alabama. purchased thirty acres
of hammock on Dunns Lake in Putnam
county for seven hundred and thirteen
dollars. The property was in the back
woods "-all supplies were brought in a
row boat from Palatka and the neigh
bOrs dubbed together SO as to send once
a week for the bacon, hominy and cof
fee absolutely necessary. In the spring of
1870, 4SO large stumps were transplanted
from the wild groves in the vicinity and
in 1871 the first tuds were put in. These
had begun to show promise when the
cold snap of December 23d. 1871, killed
the growing buds and many Of the stocks.
| Meantime there had been no lOaring and
| the work of clearing, begun in January,
! 1863, had rescued from the forest several
acres of rich land on which corn and cot
| ton, cabbage, potatoes. etc, were planted
each year. and the proceeds from the
| farm supported Maj. Burton and paid
| the wages of one hand. Advances were
made, but the crop repaid all. and for
their profits the owners waited patiently
till the trees began to bear.
| Excep. that the field was cleared, the
freeze of 1871 left the owners exactly
where they had begun in 1869. But in 1872
they replanted with budded trees from
the nursery and filled the spaces again
with corn and cotton. They now mad
house and cows and pigs and Il horse;
| the tiAc do sum hdii Dut htU =" iioe
they grew, or could buy from the pro-
ceeds of their crops. They came to Pa
latka occasionally, and sometimes they
had jolly times with the neighbors at a
dance or hunting frolic, but the work
went bravely on.
In 1876 the grove which had been
planted in 1872 gave its first crop. which
was sold to f. G. Post, of Palatka, for
$2S. In 1877 the crop was sold to {. X
Griffing of Crescent City for $3.50, on the
trees. The place was now called the Glen
Cove Grove-the boom had taken on
promising oportions-Crescent City
was growing fast and steamboats, were
plying between her wharf and Palatka.
Dunn's Lake had become Lake Crescent
and the creek connecting it with the st.
Johns river was now known as Deep
river. People began to come in from
every quarter, the tourist was visible
and hotels began to spring up. Life was
easier and pleasanter, but work went on
all the same.
In 1878 the oranges from the grove
were sold to Henry Lilienthal on the
trees for $3.50. In 1879 they brought
81 200. In 1880 the fruit was divided,
t. A. Capwell bought part and Cook &
Otterson the remainder; the whole
brought 81, 140. In 1881 the grove pr, =
duced $40 boxes of choice fruit and this
sold for $I,9OO.46. In 1882 $50 boxes
were shipped, the remainder sold to
Beach & Miller; the whole brought
s2,072.75.
In 1883
1859 boxes were shipped to
Higley & Smith, Chicago, and
returned. .....-.-.-.....F 90 ,533 AZ
Sixty-eight boxes were sold for 102 O2
Twenty-eight boxes Tangerines 1863 "a
Total. 81, SO5 3s
In 1884
2,264 boxes brought 81 ,612 SIS
The Tangerines cold for. . $50 20
In the winter of 1855 nearly all the
fruit was more or less injured by the
fir, eze. SO that less than one thousand
dollars was realized.
The present crop is still on the trees,
but it is estimated at more than two
thousand boxes.
Now for the other side. Up to the
present time there has been paid out
since 1869 $50 for salt. SOL for CONNER
cial fertilizers and S64 for kainit.
The muck and compost given the trees
has been made on the place. No labor
except that of one man has been EN-
ployed save in picking oranges. For all
this the proceeds of crops grown on the
place have paid. For the original outlay
of capital and the work of the proprietors
they can show fourteen acres set in fine
trees, all healthy, beautifully located.
aud lIOtr convenient TO TRANSPORTATION.